Speaker Biography: Born in Montpellier in 1983, he received his diploma in opto-electronic engineering from the University of Montpellier 2 (UM2) in 2006. He then worked towards a PhD degree in the Nanomir group of the Institut d'Electronique du Sud at UM2. He got the PhD degree in Semiconductors for MidIR applications in 2010. Now, he works in the Photonics Research Group of Ghent University - IMEC in Belgium on Mid-IR integrated optics.

Summary: The mid-IR is an interesting wavelength range enabling new applications for photonic integrated circuits. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide circuits combined with III-V opto-electronic components provide a platform to realize a fully integrated spectrometer for sensing applications. The availability of an integration platform for this wavelength range could enable ultra-compact, low-cost sensor solutions that outperform existing solutions by their selectivity and sensitivity. For this objective, either a tunable laser source needs to be integrated or an SOI spectrometer combined with an array of photodiodes at its outputs is needed. In this work, we investigate this III-V integration on a silicon-on-insulator waveguide circuit for operation around a wavelength of 2.2 µm, based on the GaSb material system. Different photodiode designs are studied, showing a high responsivity (>1 A/W) and a dark current of 2 µA at room temperature. The first integration of a photodetector array on top of a silicon-on-insulator planar concave grating (PCG) spectrometer is reported. For the GaSb-based laser, continuous wave (CW) operation is measured at room temperature for a bonded laser that is mechanically cleaved. Different possibilities to couple the laser emission into the silicon waveguide will be presented that allow the completion of the laser integration.... Read Full Abstract [PDF]